Common spelling rules

Hello my wonderful students! Today, we are diving into a very important part of English language: Spelling.

Good spelling is like having good manners; it shows you care about your writing and makes your ideas clear. Whether you're writing an essay about Lagos traffic or chatting with Chidi, correct spelling is key!

Understanding some simple spelling rules can make a big difference and help you ace your exams. No more 'recieve' instead of 'receive'!

1. The 'i' Before 'e' Rule (Except After 'c')

This is one of the most famous rules! It helps you know when to write 'ie' and when to write 'ei'.

Generally, you put 'i' before 'e'.

Examples: believe, achieve, field, piece. "Aisha believes she can achieve her goals."

However, if the sound is like a long 'ee' and it comes after a 'c', then it's 'ei'.

Examples: receive, deceive, ceiling, conceive. "Tunde received a letter from his brother."

But wait, there are exceptions! If the 'ei' makes an 'a' sound, like in 'neighbour' or 'weigh', this rule doesn't apply. English no dey easy oh, but we go try!

2. Dropping the 'e' Before a Suffix

When a word ends with a silent 'e' (like in 'love' or 'make'), and you add a suffix that starts with a vowel (like -ing, -able, -ous), you usually drop the 'e'.

Examples: love + ing = loving, make + ing = making, drive + ing = driving. "The driver is driving carefully through Kano market."

Examples: use + able = usable, complete + ion = completion. "The phone is very usable."

But, if the suffix starts with a consonant (like -ful, -ly, -ment), you usually keep the 'e'.

Examples: hope + ful = hopeful, care + ful = careful, pure + ly = purely. "Be careful when crossing the road."

3. Doubling the Consonant

This rule applies to words ending in a consonant-vowel-consonant (CVC) pattern, especially short words.

When you add a suffix that starts with a vowel (like -ing, -ed, -er), you often double the final consonant if the stress is on the last syllable (for longer words) or if it's a short word.

Examples: stop + ing = stopping, run + ing = running, plan + ed = planned. "My sister planned a trip to Abuja."

Examples: big + er = bigger, thin + est = thinnest. "This danfo is bigger than the last one."

If the word ends in two consonants (like 'start') or two vowels before the consonant (like 'neat'), you don't double it. Start + ing = starting. Neat + er = neater.